The ABCs of Karmanami
by kawaiichoconeko
Summary: A collection of short one-shots and drabbles. Each represent a letter in the alphabet. Main pairing: Karmanamai! As usual, reviews are love! Latest chapter: X is for Xmas
1. A is for Arcade

Arcades weren't a common place for Okuda Manami to hang out on weekends. Truth to be told, she'd rather be cooped up inside, reading **The Nature of the Chemical Bond** by Linus Pauling. It was no exception even if it was rainy and gloomy outside, but when Sugino invited Nagisa, Kayano, herself, and even Karma to go, she couldn't refuse. She didn't normally go on outings with friends and this was her first in many years. She had only gone out with some friends once in kindergarten when it was a girl's birthday party.

The arcade was crowded and _loud_. Even though it was Sunday, the bespectacled girl didn't expect so many people. The smell of plastic from the prize counter filled the air. It gave Manami a headache. She didn't see the point in winning tickets for those cheap and fragile little items. The real prizes, she noted, were in the crane machines, but she also noted that even though the game looked fairly simple, it was a lot harder. Some were even rigged.

"What do you guys wanna do first?" asked Sugino, handing each person a generous amount of tokens. Manami took hold of the cup filled with little gilded coins and found it surprisingly heavy.

"Wanna try the shooting game?" suggested Nagisa, pointing to a zombie killing game. Sugino nodded in agreement and Karma followed, amused. It was no secret that shooting games were the red head's favorite.

"Wanna play air-hockey Okuda-san?" asked Kayano politely. The green haired girl had let her hair down today. The soft, green locks fell down to her back. Manami had to agree that she was quite beautiful.

"Sure!" replied Manami enthusiastically. The girl was rather grateful to have such a beauty as a friend. "Is this your first time here?"

"I've been here a few times with some friends a few years ago," replied Kayano, smiling, "How about you?" Manami shook her head. "Really?" asked Kayano, surprised. As the two walked over to the air hockey table, Kayano started to explain the rules despite the game being rather self-explanatory.

"I think I got it," replied Manami, smiling. As she tried to reach the puck, she realized that her arms weren't nearly long enough and hit it weakly. Kayano fired back strongly due to the advantage of the puck being closer to her. The puck flew into Manami's goal before she could stop it, frightening the girl.

"It's ok," laughed Kayano, "It's your first time."

As the game went on, Manami began to score points. The puck flew back and forth as the two girls enjoyed their game. In the end, Kayano won by only one point.

"What next?" asked Manami, smiling. Kayano paused to think, placing her index finger on her chin.

"Let's go to the crane machines," the girl replied brightly, "The stuffed animals in there are so cute!" She grabbed Manami by the wrist excitedly and dragged her over to the brightly decorated machines.

"Have you ever gotten anything out of these?" asked Manami, noticing her green haired companion's interest. Kayano shook her head.

"It's all about luck!" stated Kayano firmly, "These are probably all rigged…Anyways, which one's your favorite?" Manami looked around, her violet eyes scanning the rigged machines.

"Maybe that one," replied the glasses girl, pointing to a Domo in a mad scientist costume, "It's kinda like me." The two girls laughed. "How about you?"

"I like that kitty one!" shouted Kayano, "You know, I've seen a lot of movies where the guy miraculously wins a stuffed animal for the girl! If this happened in real life, it'd be a like a real prince!" Manami laughed. It'd never happen like that…right? Suddenly, a certain red head walked over to the crane machine and inserted a token.

"Oh, Karma-kun," remarked Kayano, "I didn't know that you were interested in this stuff." He just smirked in response. The boy skillfully maneuvered the crane so that it perfectly hovered over the little mad scientist Domo. The two girls gasped as the crane caught ahold of the toy and pulled it up. Slowly…very slowly, the crane moved over the box where the toy was supposed to drop.

"Here you go Okuda-san," smiled Karma, handing her the toy, "You wanted it, right?"

"Th-thank you Karma-kun," mumbled Manami out of shock, "I hope it didn't bother you too much to go out of your way!" She bowed apologetically. Karma chuckled.

"Bother?" asked Karma, "Honestly. Isn't this what friends do?" With that, the taller boy walked back to Nagisa and Sugino.

"O-ku-da-san," whispered Kayano mischievously, "You know what I said about the prince thing?

"I-it isn't like that!" retorted Manami, face red as a tomato, "It's just that Karma-kun is friendly…"

"Then why didn't he get me one?" demanded Kayano, mischief in her eyes, "He's _your_ prince!" Manami shook her head while squeezing her new toy tightly out of embarrassment. "I knew it," mumbled Kayano.


	2. B is for Birthday

"Alright class," stated the eccentric octopus-like teacher of Class E, "It appears we have a birthday coming up soon!" Unlike other teachers, Koro-sensei had a habit of announcing class birthdays. It was to show that anyone could be remembered. The class mumbled in curiosity. It was the Thursday before winter break. Whose birthday was coming up?

"Well, yellow octopus?" asked Terasaka impatiently, "Don't just leave us hanging!" Koro-sensei cleared his throat and his smile widened.

"Terasaka," stated Koro-sensei, "I didn't know you were _that_ excited about Karma's birthday. It's on December 25th!" Everyone gasped. Karma's birthday was on the happy and innocent day of _Christmas_. How ironic.

"That was unnecessary Koro-sensei," yelled Karma from the back of the room, "Why don't you tell us _your_ age and birthday?" A sadistic smile spread onto his face. After all, their homeroom teacher never told them anything about _his_ own personal life. As the class started rioting, a certain glasses girl sat silently, thinking hard.

 _"I wonder what I should get for Karma-kun?"_ the girl thought nervously, _"After all, he_ _ **is**_ _a good friend."_ After what felt like hours of contemplating, Manami decided to bake him a mini cake and give it to the red-head tomorrow. Even though she was rather proficient in cooking, she figured that chemistry and cooking were rather alike. You just add ingredients together to get (or at least hope) for something better. She quickly began planning, writing in her notebook as Koro-sensei went on about the life cycle of frogs.

 **X**

When Manami arrived back to her house in the afternoon, she was welcomed by an empty house. As she washed her hands and tied her hair up into a pony tail (which she rarely did), she debated on whether Karma would appreciate chocolate cake or strawberry shortcake. After a while, the girl settled on chocolate cake. However, she feared that her kitchen would burn down into shreds while operating the oven.

The girl pulled out flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda from her cabinets and milk, eggs, butter, and chocolate from her fridge. According to the cookbook, she was supposed to add the dry ingredients first. Following the recipe to the exact point of perfection, Manami added in everything and made sure there were no shells in the eggs. Maybe this wouldn't go as bad as she thought it would.

"Next," read Manami out loud, "Blend the ingredients…" She gently put the whisk inside the mushy batter. It reminded her of a cloudy sky, dark intermixed with the sun trying to peak through. She tugged at the whisk. It was stuck. Just perfect. Manami struggled to pull the whisk out, pulling with all her strength. Suddenly, due to the force, her elbow hit the flour. She could only watch as the flour dropped to the ground. White flurries spread everywhere, covering the girl's glasses in the process. As she set the bowl down and reached for a towel, her hand accidently knocked over the milk which knocked over all the eggs.

 _Splat! Splat! Splat!_

Manami felt like crying when she was finally able to see the mess she had caused. Lumps of sticky flour stuck to ground and egg shells were _everywhere_. In total, it took the bespectacled girl another hour to clean up the mess. The sticky flour was very stubborn, refusing to be removed from the ground. However, with just enough scrubbing, the flour finally gave in. When all was done, Manami placed the batter in the cake mold and put it in the preheated oven. She sighed and wiped her forehead. She was not going to bake again without some help.

 **X**

"Morning Okuda-san," said Karma rather questionably when he arrived to Manami waiting at his desk, "What's in the box?" Manami fidgeted nervously. She didn't know how the cake tasted and she didn't know if he'd like it. "You look like you're trying to deliver me a bomb," he joked.

"I-it's just an e-early birthday gift," squeaked Manami nervously. She handed the box to Karma and watched him as he opened it. When he saw the cake, he grinned.

"How'd you know I liked chocolate?" asked Karma, "Thanks Okuda-san." He carefully put it in his desk, making sure not to squish it. "How long did it take you?"

"Not _that_ long," fibbed the girl, smiling, "I just…errr…ran into some issues…" Karma chuckled.

"The expression you're wearing right now is telling me that this took you longer than it should've," laughed Karma, "I didn't really expect anything though…so thanks Okuda-san." Manami smiled in return, pleased that the red head liked her little gift.

"No problem really," she replied.

If only he knew how much of a problem it actually was.


	3. C is for Chloroform

Once a week, Karma stayed after school with his dear poison glasses in the classroom as the two tested out poisons for his pranks. However, this was merely a secret that they kept from the others besides their octopus-like teacher who was their chaperone every week. It was like a ritual of sorts. Today was no different. Even if it was dark and stormy outside, Karma refused to leave any earlier.

"What did you want to do this week Karma-kun?" asked the bespectacled girl. She was used to requests from her red haired friend and wasted no time to fulfill them. In return, he'd give her his company. The glasses girl didn't like being alone when making her poisons. She didn't like being alone in general. It was something she got used to, but still…it bothered her more than she thought it should've.

"Well lately, Terasaka's been bugging me," stated Karma, mischief sparkling in his sharp, mercury eyes, "With those spit wads he keeps chucking at me. It's not very _hygienic_. I don't know about you, but his spit on my face is an indirect kiss to me." Manami giggled, knowing that hygiene was one of the last things that Karma was concerned about.

"Right," she giggled, "For the sake of _hygiene_." Karma chuckled as the girl set up the chemicals for the chloroform. It was funny how one day, a fresh batch was made and the next, it was gone.

"Hey Okuda-san?" asked Karma, tilting a bottle of blue, cold liquid, "Why does it seem that you're always so open _after_ school? You don't act like this when someone like Nagisa or Kayano-san is talking to you." Manami's faced turned red. Karma saw through _everyone_.

"U-um…I guess it's just because…I find you easy to talk to," the girl stuttered, embarrassed. She suddenly spotted a crack on the table and stared at it intensely. Out of the many cracks on the table, this one seemed most interesting to her. She heard Karma laugh and looked up abruptly, even more embarrassed.

"Well if it helps you," he started, "I find you easy to talk to as well…" Manami's face turned into a deeper scarlet, making the boy next to her rather amused. "You're like a human tomato," he laughed out.

When the girl finally recovered, she taught the boy next to her step-by-step to make chloroform and what _not_ to do. He always found joy in pretending to do something reckless in her presence. It was just to scare the girl.

"D-don't do that Karma-kun!" panicked the girl as he lifted a glass of liquid to the Bunsen burner, "It's highly flammable!" Karma smirked, bemused.

"As if I'd ever do anything _that_ reckless," he said matter-of-factly, "especially when you're around. Explaining to your parents that you got third degree burns would be rather difficult, no?" Manami sighed with relief as he put the liquid away from the fire.

"That wouldn't happen," replied Manami, pouring a liquid into a beaker with a purple liquid already in it, "My parents are always away." Her violet orbs focused on the meniscus, making sure that it was just the perfect amount. She was so calm. Her hands weren't even shaking.

"I didn't know that." Karma looked at the girl. "Then that makes us both the same. My parents are always travelling the world. Once in a while, they send me spices." Karma followed the girl's procedure as she set the beaker down.

"Be careful Karma-kun!" cried the girl as she saw a little drop spill and land on Karma's wrist. He kept calm and finished pouring everything before he examined the small burn.

"It's fine Okuda-san," he reassured, "it doesn't hurt a lot." Manami refused to listen to the boy, shaking her head vigorously.

"Let's go to the teacher's room to wash it and put some ointment on it," she said, practically forcing the read head out of the room. As the girl took care of the small burn, Karma couldn't help but laugh just a bit.

"You get worried over the smallest things," he said smiling out of mirth.

"Well that's because you're hurt Karma-kun," she retorted seriously. In her mind, any hurt friend need help no matter how small the injury was.

"It's fine," he sighed, starting to stand up, "It doesn't hurt anymore anyways." Manami nodded and the two walked back to finish their chloroform.

After a while, the two were almost done when all they needed to do was add another chemical in. As they both reached for the beaker at the same time, concentrating on another beaker, their hands touched. It was just a simple graze, but Manami jumped and quickly pulled her hand back. Also sensing the touch, Karma laughed at the girl's reaction.

"I don't bite Okuda-san," he said, smirking, "Well at least not you anyways." Manami's face turned red again.

It was only because Okuda Manami was _his_ special exception.


	4. D is for Daring!

Karma's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. How his friend Okuda Manami arrived to school like _that_ this morning was something he'd never figure out. All he was informed was that Kayano had a "brilliant" idea and decided to pay his poison glasses a visit early that morning.

Meanwhile, Manami was fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat as people stared at her outfit. Kayano had _promised_ her that she looked stunning. However, an extremely _low_ v-neck sweater exposing a vast amount of collar bone was not very stunning. And to add to that, extra short sleeves that were close to being a tank top wasn't helping her either. If only Kayano had let the girl bring her jacket.

In fact, Manami found this uncomfortably _daring_. She didn't like being daring very much.

Meanwhile, her red headed friend seemed to get more annoyed by the minute. Watching every one stare at the girl was very disturbing and irked him more than he'd like to admit. Her dressing up like Bitch-sensei was a no-no. Finally, after watching many other males in the classroom ogle at the girl, Karma decided to step in and take action. He walked briskly toward the girl, looking absolutely calm and collected to the point that it was scary.

 _First step_. Manami was unaware of him walking over. She just wanted to crawl under a desk and hide.

 _Second step._ Manami began to hear whispering and whatnot. She noticed that the attention she had was suddenly gone. She began to turn around to see what everyone was talking about.

 _Third step._ Manami saw nothing but brown and felt a soft cloth against her face. _This scent…_ she thought, finding it surprisingly familiar. She quickly removed the cloth from her face to reveal Karma looking directly at her.

"Put it on," he demanded. Manami complied gratefully.

"Thank you Karma-kun!" shouted Manami, "I'll make sure to give it back to you after class." Karma contemplated. After class meant the girl walking home. After class meant _strangers_ staring at her.

"Keep it," he replied airily.


	5. E is for Eyeglasses

Okuda Manami sighed as she recalled the events of early that morning. It all started when Terasaka decided to burst into the classroom, slamming the door with such force that the blackboard shook. Sugino jumped back due to shock and accidentally bumped into Nagisa, who was previously talking to the baseball loving boy about an American team. Nagisa fell back and landed on Kayano's pudding. The green haired girl waved her arms angrily and hit Manami's glasses off her face. Isogai ran over to calm Kayano down and accidentally stepped on the girl's glasses.

Without her glasses, Manami was helpless. She was, in fact, as blind as a bat and couldn't see the board where Koro-sensei was teaching. Squinting as hard as she could, the girl could make out the yellow blob and the small blobs he was writing. Eventually, the girl had to stop squinting due to her growing migraine.

As the final bell rang, Manami stumbled out of the classroom, tripping over bags and squealing 'sorry' all over the classroom. As she tripped out, she accidently bumped into _another_ person. "Sorry!" she shouted for the umpteenth time. As she quickly pulled back, the blurry person helped her get steady. She could make out a red blob and quickly figured that it was none other than Karma Akabane, a close friend of hers.

"Are you ok, Okuda-san?" asked the red head, smirking out of amusement, "Watch out." He quickly pulled the ex-glasses girl to the side as Isogai and Maehara ran fruitlessly after a yellow blur going at Mach 20 rate.

"Th-thank you Karma-kun," sighed the girl, grabbing ahold of herself, "I'll be leaving now. Have a nice day." She walked off, putting her right in front of her just so she wouldn't crash into anything or anyone else.

"I'll walk you home," stated Karma bluntly, walking towards the girl, "You need someone to guide you." Quickly, the red head grabbed her hand. Compared to Manami's hand, Karma's was fairly larger than hers and quickly wrapped around her tiny and cold hand. His hand was warm and comforting, but it didn't stop Manami's face from turning beet red.

"W-what are you doing, Karma-kun?!" panicked the girl, trying to escape from the boy's grasp. It was futile. Karma gripped the Manami's hand firmly.

"It's just so that you won't fall into a pothole or something," he grinned and pulled her along.

"I don't think they leave open potholes ungua —AHH!" squealed the girl as Karma dragged her down the stairs and started sprinting.

This would be a very exciting way back home.


	6. F is for Fever

Karma Akabane sighed as _another_ passerby stared at the red head suspiciously as he carried a girl with braids in his hands, bridal style. The girl's glasses were askew and her face was red. No, she wasn't _drunk_. It was simply because Manami Okuda started burning up during class and was feeling rather dizzy. Her class only watched as she tripped all over the place and wobbled unstably before Karma stepped in and decided to take her home. He was only expecting to help her get stable as she walked home, but within a few minutes, she passed out completely.

There were no other alternatives.

As the boy rushed the girl to her apartment complex, strangers shot him a questioning glance, but it wasn't the boy's biggest concern. Manami was getting worse by the minute, painful coughs escaping her mouth and her head growing hotter. It wasn't the best situation.

Using the spare key that his poison glasses kept under the lamp, Karma hastily opened the door and rushed the girl inside her room, laying her gently onto her futon and putting a blanket over her. He quickly got up and shut the front door, locking everything. Proceeding over to the kitchen, he opened the creaky, wooden cabinets to check for medicine. Pulling out a small container of Advil, he carefully skimmed the instructions and groaned inwardly.

She'd have to eat before taking it.

He could clearly remember eating lunch with her that afternoon and watching her pick rather listlessly at her bento. She didn't have an appetite then and skipped her lunch all together. He'd just have to cook her something…

Karma frantically searched her fridge, not wanting to waste any time. Since he didn't know the first thing about cooking, he decided against on raw poultry, afraid of giving the poor girl salmonella. Eliminating almost **everything** in the fridge, Karma, reluctantly, just decided to make her salted rice. She had to eat _something_.

X

As Karma finished "cooking" (or whatever he did), he quickly cleaned up his mess. No, he absolutely did not burn any pots. Walking over to the glasses girl's room, he knocked. No answer. He walked in and Manami's eyes fluttered open, cheeks flushed. Her glasses were positioned uncomfortably on her face. Karma took them off and brushed a few strands of stray hair away from her face.

"Here we go," sighed Karma, feeding her a spoon of the rice. Judging by the girl's wincing face, it wasn't very good. Karma chuckled to himself, giving her another spoon. Manami hesitated. "Half," he promised. It felt as if he was negotiating with a small child.

Bite by bite, the girl had managed to choke down half of the bowl and one pill of Advil. As Karma tucked her gently into bed once again, he laughed to himself, deciding to stay a bit longer.

But of course, he'd never cook again.


	7. G is for Graze

Okuda Manami didn't like crowded places. Especially train stations. When class E went to Kyoto all together, the train was crowded. Maybe it was because the main building gave the neglected class the smallest area or maybe it was because students from the main building kept walking back and forth. Or even maybe it was because they sent chaperones to do so, since touching Class E students would be "disgusting" and their "stupidity" was "contagious".

However, there were also students of the main building that were so arrogant and had such a horrible attitude that no girl would ever go near them. Using this as their chance, they'd walk up and down the train, brushing their hands against some girl's shoulder every once in a while. Class E students were unable to do much considering that they were practically trapped. If one of them did anything to harm the sensitive main building students, their trip would be taken away and they'd never hear the end of it.

"I'm getting real sick of this," muttered Rio to Kayano. She shrunk as far into her seat as she possibly could and the other girls followed the suit. Kayano was practically _on_ Nagisa and Rinka just glared, sending chills down on the other students' spines.

Manami sat rather comfortably next to Karma who was either dozing off or staring very deeply into the window, mercury eyes not even glinting with the slightest bit of mischief. In other words, he was bored.

Suddenly, Manami felt a slight touch on her bare arm. It was just a small graze of someone's hand, but she suddenly felt uncomfortable. Her shoulders came up and she looked rather tense. It was just a graze.

But a graze might've been already too much for the read head. His mercury orbs became sharp and alert as he felt his companion stiffen up. Her own violet orbs were looking down. When he looked up, a class B student was snickering, mocking the bespectacled girl. Karma wasn't one to judge, but he was ugly. Not on the outside since he looked rather normal. Normal height, normal face…the normal boring concluded Karma. But on the inside, that B student was arrogant and looked down upon women…which explains why only on a train he could make contact with a female.

Karma's sharp mercury orbs became sharper, if possible, and turned dagger like, shooting holes into the student's head. Suddenly feeling like prey, the B student hurried away, shoes scuffling along the carpeted floor.

"Okuda-san," stated Karma nonchalantly as if he did absolutely nothing, "why don't you take the window seat? I've been hogging such a wonderful view for the whole time!" Manami glanced out…it was nothing but a dark tunnel.

"A-ah thanks for the offer," replied Manami politely, accepting to make the red head happy. In reality, she had no interest in tunnels, but she giggled.

After the two switched, Karma felt much better. No one could touch _his_ poison glasses anymore.


	8. H is for Hug

Karma grunted in irritation as a group, or more like an entire _mob_ , of girls flocked around him. Nothing the red head did could scare them off. He tried glaring (in fact many times) but it only seemed to attract the girls more. However, even though these girls were from the main building, they didn't mind the fact that Karma was in Class E. It was only because he was _extremely_ attractive and skipped classes all the time so he technically wasn't part of Class E…or so they thought.

Meanwhile, a certain bespectacled chemistry loving girl hid behind a large oak tree. After an unspoken agreement to walk home together, it became their ritual. A secret that only they knew about. That was until the main building's girls decided to take a little detour to the mall and found the two walking. But luckily, they only noticed Karma and ran straightforward.

Now Manami Okuda watched silently as no one noticed her. Her red haired companion looked awfully annoyed, eyebrows twitching. He looked almost as annoyed as when their octopus-like teacher painted his nails. Manami slowly walked over, trying to get through the mob of Karma-obsessed girls, but she was stuck in the back. Suddenly, the boy's eyes glinted with mischief as he saw her. "Now, now," he ushered, waving his hand airily.

"Yes Karma-kun~?!" the fangirls shouted, completely blinded from Karma's true intention. He smirked and reached his hand into the back of the crowd. Manami felt a strong tug against her wrist and before she knew it, her glasses were askew and she was in her companion's arms.

"K-Karma-k-kun?!" she sputtered, blood rushing to her cheeks. His grin only grew wider as the other girls began whispering and moving backward. He nonchalantly walked ahead, the girl still in his arms.

"Who is _she_?" they whispered enviously, "I'm far prettier, in fact, way prettier, than that _thing_ from Class E!" Similar comments started going around.

"If you guys will keep quiet about this," reasoned Karma slyly, keeping his friend in mind, "I'll give you my number…" He didn't want to bring trouble to Manami.

"WE'LL KEEP QUIET KARMA-KUN!" screeched the girls excitedly. They watched eagerly as their favorite red head started scribbling on a piece of paper and tossed it on the ground. All of them leaped for it, clawing each other and stretching as far as possible.

"Why'd you do that?" panicked Manami as Karma pulled her along. She wasn't bothered by the fact that he was _hugging_ her, but instead, focused on his number. "They'll drive you insane!"

"Don't worry," replied Karma, blasé, "It was Nagisa's."

Manami shuddered. A certain green haired girl would be _mad_.


	9. I is for Infected

It rarely happened. Karma couldn't even remember the last time it did. The last time he was anxious and nervous. The last time his palms became clammy. The last time he asked himself 'what-ifs?' and thought about worst case scenarios.

He looked around the room, hiding his own nervousness with a blank expression or maybe even serious. Out of the many sick people in that room, his mercury orbs stayed on a bespectacled girl, fever sky high and beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. Her cheeks were bright red and her vision was hazy even with her glasses on. He had been replacing cold towels on her head for the past ten minutes.

"Feeling better Okuda-san?" asked Karma, sincere, yet seemingly calm. She nodded as he brushed strays of her raven black hair away from her eyes. He clenched his teeth in frustration. _How could've I let this happen?_

His mind in a flurry, Manami decided to muster all the strength she had and tried to comfort him. "It's ok Karma-kun," she whispered, voice hoarse and thin as paper, "No one saw it coming. Thanks for taking care of me though." Her violet eyes became warm as she looked into his troubled mercury ones.

"You shouldn't be overexerting yourself Okuda-san," scolded Karma playfully. Although he was slightly more relaxed that his poison glasses was ok, he was still very disturbed. He would've given anything to trade places with her.

"Hey Karma-kun?" asked Manami weakly smiling, "Let's go walk around the town tomorrow. We haven't been there yet and this _is_ a place to explore, right?"

"Tomorrow, huh?" asked Karma, chuckling as he patted the glasses girl on the head gently, "Sounds nice. I heard from Kayano that their pudding is good." Despite himself, the boy let out a smile. A genuine one.

"That sounds nice…" sighed Manami, coughing a bit, "and you have a sweet tooth too, right?" He only sighed and gently patted her head one more time.

"Get some rest," he replied, pulling the blankets tightly over the girl, "Sleep and you'll get better soon."

The boy walked outside of the stuffy room to get some fresh air and looked at the cloud covered sky. The moon's rays shone through, despite being completely covered. Cicadas buzzed and the muggy air made Karma sweat. Pulling his collar, he looked back inside. Manami was fast asleep. He smiled once more, but frowned. There was a time limit. And time was running out.

He'd get that cure no matter what.


	10. J is for Just Dance

"Please Karma," begged a baseball loving boy, "You _have_ to be there! You're one of the most athletic guys in the class!" His eyes were desperate as he looked in the red head's mercury ones. Karma's smirked as his eyes lit up with amusement.

"It depends," he taunted, looking over at Sugino maliciously, "What do I get in return?" Sugino's jaw fell, utterly shocked and scared.

"Ehhhhh?!" he cried, suddenly looking into his bag and searching frantically, "O-oh! I have just enough to treat you to an ice cream! How about that? You have a sweet tooth, don't you?" Karma's grin didn't falter nor did is evil aura lessen.

"That's all I get?" whined Karma, "Even after I went through all the trouble of helping you and not telling Kanzaki-san that-!" Sugino quickly covered the red head's mouth, clasping his strong hand over it.

"O-ok!" stated Sugino giving in, "I'll get you anything! You can even learn one of my deepest, darkest secrets!" Karma put his hand on the desk and casually stretched out the other one, yawning.

"Eh~, how boorish of you," fake pouted Karma, "I already know everything~! That's why I blackmail, silly." Sugino's blood ran cold.

"….I'LL GIVE YOU ONE OF MY PRECIOUS BASEBALL CARDS!" he finally shouted, getting desperate. Karma eyed him suspiciously, completely disinterested in all the raven haired boy's offers. "Why can't you make it again?"

"I have stuff to do," replied Karma airily, "Like going out and going to a museum." Now it was Sugino's turn to look at the red head suspiciously.

"I thought you hated crowded places," he asked, "Is this an excuse to not enter the Just Dance competition with me and Nagisa?!" Karma almost spat out the juice he was drinking. Sugino had not expected such a loud outburst from himself and quickly looked around, making sure no one heard him.

"First of all, it's, 'Nagisa and _I.'_ Not, 'Me and Nagisa." Second of all, I have a little appointment," Karma drawled out, "So sorry that I can't attend to your dance party." As expected, he wasn't the least bit apologetic at all.

"Who're you going with?" asked Sugino, "Who's this person that you'd choose over the both of us?" Sugino's eyes brimmed with curiosity. A certain bespectacled chemistry loving girl came into Karma's head. Yes, it was true. That weekend, Karma had planned on going to chemistry exhibit with Manami a few hours away. He feared that she would get lost by herself.

"It's a se~cr~et," taunted Karma.


	11. K is for Knight

Ok…so maybe Koro-sensei thought that he was a fabulous teacher. And maybe he thought it was ideal to pair up students together and help them build up a rose colored relationship. And maybe he was really bad at being **subtle**.

The 3-E students already knew where he was going when he announced that they'd do little…um…."play scenarios" in groups of two with the opposite gender. The exact same groups they were in for their test of courage. And at once, all of them knew that it was going to be an eventful week. The biggest surprise for them was that their octopus like teacher even had an outdoor stage made and sets created. Compliments to Karasuma-sensei and his bank account.

And although some weren't really into it and wanted to skip, _coughKarmacough,_ they knew that it would be a perfect place to plan an assassin. With their teacher fixated on his favorite couples, anyone would be able to get through his defenses. However, Koro-sensei had strictly stated that some students weren't comfortable with acting and forbade the students to watch each scene unless they had permission.

Karma grinned mischievously as he watched Nagisa and Kayano stutter around through their act of Sleeping Beauty. He had blackmailed Nagisa into letting the class watch and Karma was very amused, snapping several photos. Too bad his blue haired companion was a guy this time. Meanwhile, his own partner flipped through the script nervously, trying to make sure that she wouldn't mess anything up for Karma.

"Relax," soothed Karma casually, "even if we do mess up, just improvise and make it…different. For all we know, Romeo could've been an alien and Juliet could've been a vampire." Manami fixed her glasses and giggled. As Nagisa and Kayano finished up their skit, Koro-sensei ushered the rest of the students out, for the bespectacled girl didn't want anyone watching her. Nervously, she walked up to the platform where Juliet was supposed to stay. It was held up by suspension chords and dangled. Holding to the sides, Manami gulped as she said her first line.

Karma on the other hand, watched the platform move dangerously back and forth, not even paying attention to the lines. "Where art thou Romeo?" asked Manami again, peeking down to see if the red head was going to say anything. Suddenly, she felt the platform turn dangerously. And her falling off of it. With a blood curdling shriek, she braced herself as she was about to hit the ground 10 feet below her.

She didn't feel the hard gravel.

She didn't feel any pain.

She felt warm hands braced around her.

Gingerly opening one eye, her violet orbs met with mercury ones.

"Your Romeo died a long time ago," stated Karma, obviously improvising, "I am a knight from far away…maybe Hokkaido." Manami was shocked speechless, not knowing what to do. "It seems that Juliet is too love struck with her new knight," taunted Karma.

"A-ah….u-ummm thank you for catching me…uh….Mr. Knight," stuttered Manami, face red as a tomato, "M-maybe you c-can put me down now?"

"Does Juliet not like her knight?" asked Karma, smirking.

"U-Um….I like you very much and all, but…" squeaked Manami, "I have legs." Sighing, Karma put her down and pulled her off the stage.

"You're not very good at improvising," chided Karma playfully, "Everyone knows that Romeo and Juliet _kiss_." Manami's face grew hotter.

"I thought you were my knight," pouted Manami, "Not Romeo." He chuckled and walked back toward the classroom. Up next were Chiba and Hayami.

Meanwhile, Koro-sensei had just turned off his video recorder, pleased with the new footage. He was also pleased that a certain red head forget his assassination attempt.


	12. L is for Letter

**A/N: This is a 'Your Lie in April' AU…warning: I don't know about you, but I felt pretty sad writing this.**

… **.**

Karma strode steadily along the stone paved path, getting deeper and deeper inside the old cemetery. Letter and rose in hand, he stopped at the grave he was looking for.

 _Okuda Manami, a brilliant outgoing girl_ it read. And suddenly, his heart stopped, and eyes lowered. Recovering, the red head, gently unfolded the letter.

 _I'm sorry Karma-kun_. Her neat handwriting filled the entire page. Some words had been erased then rewritten, as if the chemistry loving girl had contemplated on what to write for a while. Some had been written in haste and he could tell that she had written this over a period of days.

 _I'm sorry for not telling any of you guys. I didn't want to worry all of you during the assassination attempts_.

Karma gulped. 'Why are you apologizing?!' he thought, 'Why were you thinking so much about us?'

 _But you know, I had lots of fun with all of you. And you know what else? I_ _ **know**_ _I'm glad to have met you and the others._

"I'm glad I met you too," Karma states, loudly enough for him to hear and for her to hear as well.

 _I tried to be strong. I really did._

"Of course you were, silly," chuckled Karma sorrowfully. He gripped the paper tightly, creasing the tear stained sheet.

 _But, Karma-kun, I wrote this letter to tell you so many things that I haven't told you yet._

"Yet?" asked Karma, "So…you weren't expecting it after all. And yet…you feared it would happen…and this was your back up plan in case it did." His face became grim.

 _All the times you stayed with me after school to help me with my chemistry…all those pranks we pulled…I treasure every single one of them._

"Me too," he replied, voice going hoarse, "I wished we could've pulled more. At least we got to every single student, right?"

 _Even when you helped me study for exams! I did so well after!_

"You're exaggerating," he chuckled, "It wasn't me that worked hard. It was **you**."

 _And all the times you helped me too. When I think about it now, I feel like I've grown a lot and it's thanks to you._

"You sure have," murmured Karma, "And I'm proud."

 _But I really regret something. I'm sorry that I haven't helped you at all…I'm sorry that I couldn't return the favors_

Karma's fist clenched. Not out of anger, but out of frustration. "Sure you've helped me," he tried to say. His voice was thin as the paper itself. "You accepted my mischief. You helped me with pranks. I had lots of fun with you."

 _But, hey Karma-kun? Promise me two things please._

"Anything," he croaked.

 _Don't stay sad for too long Karma-kun. In return, I'll promise to stay by your side. I know it's really silly, but I could probably be your guardian angel! Funny, isn't it?_

"I'll believe for you," he whispered, shaking.

 _And second…Karma-kun, please don't forget me_.

And for the first, time in a long time, he cried. Anger, sorrow,and _regret_ coursed through his veins. He struggled to read the last line.

 _I know this was really sudden Karma-kun. But please, please, please. Smile. Be happy. It'll make me happy._

Slowly, the corners of his mouth turned into his casual smirk. Although he was still crying, he was smiling.

And unbeknownst to him, she was smiling too.


	13. M is for Mean: Woo! Halfway There!

**SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 143! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! Also a little of my…uncontrollable imagination and predictions.**

 **.**

 **.**

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Akabane Karma…was not a mean person and that's what Okuda Manami strongly believed. She understood why Karma wanted to kill their octopus-like teacher even if most of the class wanted to save him. And she understood why he had attacked Nagisa. She had once heard someone say, "There are things you can only share with someone by fighting." And she believed that's what Karma did.

During class, everyone was tense, divided between to kill or not to kill. It was unbearable for the bespectacled girl, wishing that everyone could go back to being friends. She shook her head. They were still friends-just divided. She wished that everyone would be happy again, but she wasn't that naïve anymore. Nonetheless, her red haired friend isolated himself with that ugly grimace on his face. The expression he carried before he had met any of them.

She knew that Karma was in a very uncontrollable state, but yet, she felt like she had to do _something_. _I guess I'm still naïve as ever,_ thought Manami, gulping in fear as she approached the boy. Something about his aura made her blood run cold, but it didn't last long.

"K-karma-kun?" she asked shyly, her voice wavering and barely audible. When he didn't reply, she gently touched his shoulder. Suddenly, with a forceful swing of his hand, he grabbed her wrist tightly.

" _Don't touch me_ ," he snarled at the girl, wearing the exact same crazed expression and trying to scare her away. It was futile.

Manami looked straight into the boy's eyes, heart unwavering and said, "Are you ok Karma-kun?" Violet and caring orbs met cold, mercury ones.

" _Eh?_ " taunted Karma, " _Why aren't you running away? Aren't you_ _ **scared**_ _?"_ Manami gasped. That was it. Her friend had went back to the mindset he had before. He had temporarily made himself remember after yelling and fighting. _I can't do anything_ , thought Manami, _and yet…and yet, I have to help him._

Inhaling a breath of tension filled air and happy that the whole class wasn't watching the two interact, she sought out for courage. The most courage she ever had. Memories of her and Karma washed into her mind. _He isn't mean,_ she thought, _he isn't rude._ She clenched her fist tightly. Her courage was found.

"I'm not scared," she stated, violet orbs shining with sincerity, "I'm not scared of you Karma-kun. Why should I? Karma-kun is a nice person." She could hear him scoff incredulously. She pouted despite her seriousness. "It's true!" she protested, "Karma-kun is always looking out for the class and always talks to me. It makes me happy…"

"Oh really?" asked Karma tauntingly. He seemed to be feeling better though.

"Yes!" she stated firmly, "That's why I'll always stay by Karma-kun's side even if the world is against him!"

 _Silence_.

"How poetic Okuda-san," smirked the red head, "But I'll take up on your promise."

… **.**

 **Hey guys~! I just wanted to say that I'm accepting requests (in case you didn't know!). You can comment what you want, but be warned. It's first come, first served if I have writer's block. If I already have an idea, I won't be taking it (sorry! I like to plan!). Also, animeandmangafangirl has already requested Prom for P!**

 **Love you guys~**

 **-Neko-chan**


	14. N is for New Year

The shrine was crowded the minute the New Year started. At 12:00 AM exactly, crowds of excited people rolled in and within minutes, the second batch of sweet sake had run out. And like other people, Manami Okuda was out as well, seeing that it was that time of the year. She figured she'd go just for the fun of it.

The bespectacled girl wore her purple yukata as she scuffled around between people. Patterns of butterflies were in violet near the bottom and golden ones were printed on her yellow obi. Her black geta click-clacked on the stone paved stairs and her butterfly hair clip dangled in the lantern light, sparkling like the stars. Unbeknownst to her, a certain mischief making red head was slowly sneaking up behind her.

"Hey Okuda-san!" shouted an energetic Karma Akabane, shaking her shoulders a bit. Manami squealed.

"Can you not do that next time?" pouted the girl, violet orbs filled with pure innocence. Karma chuckled before taking note of her whole get-up. In contrast to her, he was wearing a loose and baggy red t-shirt and sweatpants. Over it, he wore a large brown parka and a plaid red scarf around his neck. He didn't really like being cold.

"You look nice," commented the boy, "Want to tag along with me?" Manami nodded, smiling. Unlike other girls in the E Class, she found Karma rather comforting to be around and vice versa.

The two walked up to where they made their wishes for the year. As they waited in line, Manami felt many people bump into her. Suddenly, a little kid, excited to be up past his bedtime, sped and pushed Manami aside. Her geta weren't very supportive and caused her to wobble and fall. She was surprised when the hard ground never reached her. Instead, she felt a warm strong hand grab her wrist and pulled her back up. "You ok?" asked Karma, letting her regain her balance. His larger hand completely covered her slim wrist. She slightly leaned on his shoulder to fix her geta.

"Yup!" replied Manami cheerfully, "Thanks Karma-kun!" Secretly, the red head wished he had brought his camera.

The two dropped 500 yen in and clapped their hands. "May Karma-kun have the best of luck this year," prayed Manami out loud. Karma stopped what he was saying and blushed slightly. The girl didn't seem to notice.

"Then," taunted Karma, "May _Manami-chan_ have the best of luck this year as well~!" This time, it was Manami's turn to blush. She had gotten used to being called 'Okuda-san'.

"U-uh thank you," stuttered Manami as she tried to cover her face. The action was fruitless.

"Ah," smirked Karma, glad that he was having a front row view of the blushing girl, "I'll switch back to Okuda-san then if you want."

"U-um," stammered Manami waving her hands, "I…um…actually kinda like Manami-chan….so, um….if you could…" Karma nearly choked on his sweet sake. He hadn't expected her to like it. No one liked his teasing.

"Then Manami-chan~," smirked the mercury eyed boy, "Want a sip of my sweet sake?"

"EH?!" squealed Manami turning bright red, "Karma-kun, you already drank that! If I were to take a sip….it'd be an….indirect…k-k-k-kiss!" Karma only responded by laughing.

A new year certainly brought new things.


	15. O is for Opposite

Nagisa knew that Karma's mother was the exact opposite of him. He learned from experience from meeting her when she rarely was home from trips and such. Ah, too bad he failed to warn his bespectacled friend.

It all started with a simple study session. Karma willingly agreed to tutor his poison glasses on some poetry and short story term s for an upcoming test. Unable to stay after in the class, for all the teachers were to be at a scheduled faculty meeting, the red head invited her over to his house.

The two strode along the calm streets as the sun set. Manami was nervously stumbling on and off the narrow sidewalk and onto the biking lane. She was anxiously pondering on what she would say to her friend's mother. She wasn't well equipped in these situations. Soon, they arrived at an average looking yellow house. The gravel paved path led up to brown door and the grass was cut, as if someone had been tending to them. Taking out a small silver key, Karma unlocked the door.

 _Click_

"I'm home~," drawled out Karma, stretching his arms and taking off his shoes. Manami took her shoes off as well and put them aside so no one would be bothered by them. Suddenly, footsteps came from the kitchen. A woman that looked to be in her late 40s or early 50s appeared. She had red hair that reached her back, but unlike Karma, she had warm grey eyes. Manami figured that his father must've had mercury ones. Suddenly, her shy violet orbs met the warm grey ones.

"Why Karma," gasped the woman, "You didn't tell me you were bringing a _girl_ over." Manami could've sworn that she saw Karma avert his glance. She also noticed that his mother's voice was laced with excitement. She gulped.

"We're studying for a test," replied Karma casually, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "I asked Nagisa, but he had a date." The image of a green haired girl flashed into both their minds.

"Why, Nagisa has grown quite a lot since the last time he came over," stated his mother, nodding her head nostalgically, "Come and take a seat." She started motioning Manami towards a green couch. "Karma, could you brew your guest some tea?" Complying, he walked into the kitchen…which was at the opposite side of the house.

"Uh…s-sorry for intruding…um….Akabane-san," stuttered Manami getting nervous. The older woman only smiled, "I'm Okuda Manami, Karma's classmate."

"You can call me Kazuna," she replied, flashing a warm smile that resembled Karma's, "Thank you for taking care of my son."

"O-ok!" stuttered Manami. Then panicking, she said, "No, no! It's actually Karma-kun that's been taking care of me since almost day one! I didn't really have anyone that shared an interest of chemistry with me, but he offered to help and um….I'm really grateful!" Realizing what she just had said, the girl blushed. Kazuna chuckled.

"Well it's only natural for him to take interest in things where he can use them for pranks," laughed Kazuna, "I swear, he's absolutely the same as his father. When he was little, he took joy in adding salt into my tea!" Her grey eyes looked worn and tired. Nostalgic. Manami giggled a bit.

"Karma-kun likes to prank other classmates," Manami said smiling, hoping that Kazuna would feel better, "He's really smart too!"

"I'm not home often," replied Kazuna, "But I remember that he used to say that he was going to play video games, but the next morning I walk into his room and find him fast asleep with books piled sky high on his desk! Honestly, that boy has nothing to be ashamed of with studying!"

"He's really smart," repeated Manami, "He made Tuesdays my favorite days. We usually stay after together to study or work on his pranks." Although she didn't see it, Kazuna's eyes shone with mischief.

"Just the two of you?" the woman asked politely. Manami nodded. "Why…Karma never showed interest in staying late at school. Do you two talk often?"

"Yeah," replied Manami smiling, oblivious to any evil intention, "We sit next to each other in class and usually do projects together. We're always lab partners and during lunch, we sit under the tree. He really likes relaxing under the shade." Manami thought that Kazuna only wanted to know more about her son due to her constant absence.

"What do you think about Karma?" asked Kazuna. Manami looked taken aback, but she complied to answer since she was in Kazuna's house.

"Uh…hmmm," thought the girl, "Well, I think Karma-kun likes to act cold, but is actually really kind and caring. He's really good at seeing through people." Manami laughed a bit, for he was really good seeing through _her_ especially.

"Karma!" called out Kazuna. Moments later, the younger red head walked in with green tea. "I didn't know you two were dating!" Manami looked like as if she wanted to crawl under the coffee table and hide.

"We're not," answered Karma flatly, "We're just…classmates." Kazuna almost sighed.

"But when I got here yesterday, I asked you about the scarf you were wearing when you walked in! You never liked scarfs, but you said that Manami-chan made it for you!"

"Kaa-san," mumbled Karma, blushing the slightest bit. Regaining his care-free composure, he stated, "Let's go up to my room to study Okuda-san! I don't want to bother kaa-san!" Kazuna looked very unsatisfied.

"Karma, the least you could do is call her by her first name," scolded Kazuna, "She's always calling you 'Karma-kun' and yet, you can't even muster a, 'Manami-chan'!?"

"Fine," grumbled Karma, the slightest bit irritated, "Let's go up and study Manami-chan~!" Manami blushed and so did Karma, but she didn't seem to notice.

"O-ok Karma-kun," stuttered Manami. As she followed him up, Kazuna decided that it'd be the perfect time to trip the girl. Manami felt herself stumble and fall. Swiftly, Karma grabbed the girl into his arms. It was almost a hug.

"A-ah…thank you Karma-kun," mumbled Manami, face turning to the brightest shade of red. Kazuna merely smirked.

"Remember to invite me to the wedding~!" she cried, "You two are just too cute~!"

Yup…Kazuna was the total opposite of Karma.

And she was also a bit too much of a shipper…if that was even possible.


	16. P is for Prom

Manami shifted awkwardly in her room. It was only half an hour before Class 3_E's early "prom", for their octopus-like teacher wanted to match-make _again_. Although Kanzaki and Kayano had told the introvert that the dress they picked out for her looked amazing, Manami wasn't used to wearing it. The purple cocktail dress reached her knees and violet, glittery butterflies were printed near the bottom hem. A darker purple bow wrapped around her waist. Purple ballet flats with dark purple bows covered her feet and her hair was put up in a side ponytail with a purple ribbon. Although Nakamura insisted that Manami took her glasses off and used contacts, she kept them on anyways. The girl sighed and grabbed the butterfly necklace and bracelet set Kayano had gotten her for her birthday and put them on.

After one last look, Manami walked out of her small apartment complex. Her parents would not be home tonight so she made sure to lock all the doors. Walking under the dim lights of the street lanterns, the girl wondered what she'd do at the dance. It's not like anyone would _want_ to dance with me, she thought. Contemplating on whether to leave early or not, the girl found herself already at the run down shack where her beloved class was. She could hear slow and romantic music from inside and the familiar sound of knives swishing through the air. "Hey Okuda-san," said a casual and relaxed voice. Quickly, she snapped her head to the direction of it.

"Hello Karma-kun," she greeted back, smiling, "I didn't know you were going to be here." The red head smirked.

"Just here for some blackmail photos~," he replied, sounding satisfied, "You should see this one I got of Sugino and Kanzaki-san. **Gold**." He waved a little red camera around, then examined the girl's outfit. "You look nice. Everything matches your eyes." He flashed her a quick smile as she blushed.

"A-ah thank you Karma-kun," stuttered the bespectacled girl profusely, "Kanzaki-san and Kayano-san picked it out." Karma nodded in approval.

"Well shouldn't you be going in?" asked Karma, raising an eyebrow, "since you're already dressed up and everything." Manami shook her head.

"I'm not really good with these things," replied Manami, bowing slightly, "so I was planning to leave." Karma laughed.

"Me neither," said the mercury eyed boy, "But since you're already here, why don't we dance to one song?" The girl's face turned crimson red.

"E-ehh?" she cried, "I'm…not really good at dancing…" Karma blinked, then smiled.

"I'm not either," he replied, "but how hard can it be? It's just moving your feet around. Plus it'd be a waste for you to dress up like some kind of princess and _not_ do anything. Come on." Karma stretched his hand toward her. Hesitantly, Manami accepted and grabbed his large hand. She rested her hand on his left shoulder as his went around her waist. The two started moving with the beat…but somehow, the footwork wasn't quite right. All they were doing was moving back and forth awkwardly.

"Karma-kun?" asked Manami shyly, "Is this even a dance?" The mercury eyed boy only smiled.


	17. Q is for Quarrel

Karma leaned idly against the tree, enjoying the shade and silence. It was very hot and sunny outside and Karma hated it. He wanted a cloudy and breezy day where his only refuge of peace wasn't under an oak tree. He could hear the faint sounds of cars passing by and students from the main building yelling excitedly about how they had air conditioning and how the End Class had a broken fan. Ritsu, as helpful as she was, had tried to produce an air condition of her own, but it was as loud as all her machine guns firing together and no one could concentrate properly. Also, air conditioning didn't usually freeze water bottles.

As Karma closed his eyes, he heard a group of boys, walking out of the E Class, arguing about female hairstyles. From a distance, Karma could detect the voices of Maehara, Okajima, Isogai, Kimura, Sugino, and Suguya.

"Girls with short hair are the best!" shouted Okajima waving his arms around with a bloody nose, "You can see their napes!" Maehara nodded in agreement.

"Plus, they don't have to worry about tangling their hair too much have them fuss over it as much," added in Maehara who had his experience of many different girls.

"No way," countered Isogai, playfully slapping Maehara's back, "A girl with their hair up in a ponytail can have your short hair fetish _and_ long hair." Kimura stepped up, glad that _someone_ understood.

"Long hair isn't that bad," stated Kimura, "and it's even better if you can see a girl have both short and long hair. They can have a very versatile style." Placing his hand on his chin, Kimura started to fantasize.

"Long hair is the best!" declared Sugino, pumping a fist into the air, "It makes them look elegant and mature." Suguya stepped forward, agreeing.

"The way their hair just sways…it's like they're perfect," sighed Suguya. The males, unable to convince each other on their opinions, started arguing even louder. Karma opened one eye, irritated. Just what he needed. Sensing a dangerous aura, Maehara turned around, panicked.

"Hey Karma," he shouted weakly and raised his hand, "What style do you prefer?" The others turned around as well, hoping that Karma would side with one of them.

"Braids for me," he replied casually without skipping a beat, "The really classic type where people usually stereotype nerds with." The others looked around, rather unsurprised, remembering that his favorite female in the class was none other than Okuda Manami.

"So," started Maehara tauntingly, "When are you gonna ask Okuda-san out?" Karma merely chuckled at the question.

"What are you saying?" he threatened, smiling sadistically. Maehara averted his glance nervously and laughed, voice shaky.

"Well…uh, what he's trying to say is that Okuda-san is the only one with that kind of "classic" hairstyle," explained Isogai, pulling Maehara backward. The blond was glad to be saved.

"Right," replied Karma, walking back to the classroom, "Well, see you guys later. Okuda-san and I are supposed to meet at the lab now to make more chloroform." Mischief danced across his mercury orbs and the others gulped in fear.

They would soon regret taunting Karma.


	18. R is for Rio

To Manami, Rio was the perfect match for Karma. With the blonde's confidence, cockiness, and, teasing attitude, she was the splitting image of the red head-personality wise of course. On the other hand, Manami was a shy introvert who was naïve and couldn't scheme for her life. She didn't understand why Karma chose her to become his partner over Rio, but she certainly didn't dislike it.

However, watching the two taunt other students more and more _together_ made her stomach churn. It started as a small undetectable feeling the first time Karma and Rio ever made fun of Terasaka. She watched them laugh and that was it, but when it got more common, the same horrid feeling appeared every single time. She knew it was selfish that she wanted Karma to stay away from Rio due to her fear of him leaving her so she kept it in.

And keeping it in hurt her more than she liked.

Without telling anybody her troubles, her conflicts weren't fixed and she began wishing that Rio never appeared in Class E. After wishing such horrible thoughts, the bespectacled girl began wishing the reverse, hating that she had thought such things. Rio was her friend. But so was Karma and despite her love for her friends, she couldn't help but feel _jealous_ of Rio.

 _Jealousy_ was such a cold word. Manami knew that Karma hated jealous class A girls that picked on any person of the female gender that the red head was around with. She didn't want to be lumped in with them. She didn't want to hate Rio. She wanted everything to return back to the way it was.

On a certain Tuesday after school, Manami stayed after in the chemistry lab as she usually did. She had already started boiling chemicals when Karma burst into the room, panting. "Sorry I'm late," he said, flashing his mischievous smile, "I was talking to Nakamura-san about something. Anyways, I got this really nice idea to prank Bitch-sensei again." Setting his bag down, he walked over casually toward the petite girl as she was carefully pouring an orange liquid into a boiling blue one.

"Wouldn't it work out better if you did it with _Rio-san?"_ Manami had meant her question to sound simple, but it came out colder than she expected. She bit her lip, regretting her words and mentally apologized to Rio. Karma noticed the obvious edge to her voice.

"Nakamura-san?" questioned the red head as the corners of his lips raised, "Why, Okuda-san, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're _jealous_." Manami's face turned crimson red and averted her gaze. She knew he was right and he knew it too. Suddenly, her companion started laughing.

"W-what is it?" stuttered Manami, flustered. She wished that her hands were bigger so she could cover her whole face, but that would be asking for too much.

"Okuda-san…" said Karma in between fits of laughter, "is really silly." Manami's face turned into an even brighter, if possible, shade of red. "Why would I be here if I wanted Nakamura-san as my partner in crime?"

"O-oh…" mumbled Manami, who couldn't help but feel relieved, "I see…" Karma only chuckled and placed a hand on top of the girl's head, comforting her.

He'd have to keep it a secret that she looked adorable when she was jealous.


	19. S is for Stargazing

Before when Manami moved into Class-E, the young bespectacled introvert didn't have any friends. Her classmates either thought that she was strange or avoided her because they knew she was on the verge of moving to Class-E. When the glasses girl was notified that she'd be moved into the End Class the following year, she felt like her world had fallen apart. Not only was she bullied more often by her already cold classmates, but she had to bear the disappointment of her parents. "It isn't your fault Manami," they said. "Maybe you can even meet new friends," they said. "We're not disappointed," they said.

Never in a million years would Manami expect that there were such great people in Class-E. Never in a million years would Manami expect that the whole class, now practically her second family, would go star watching together. It was her first outing with friends and she was more or less excited.

It was a week before school would start again and Sugino had organized a star watching outing and invited _everyone_ , from students to strange octopus like aliens. A meteor shower was scheduled late that night and Manami, like most of the class, had never watched one in real life before. Maybe on TV, but not outside.

Arriving ten minutes prior with Kayano, Manami spotted the sun setting and watched with awe as the sky turned from a dark orange-pink to a majestic purple. Eventually, it got dark and twinkling stars filled the sky. The light reflected off Manami's glasses as her eyes glowed with wonder, light violet orbs moving left and right, capturing every single little star.

"Hey guys," said a nonchalant voice. Manami turned around and smiled.

"Karma-kun!" she greeted, giving a small, friendly wave. The prankster waved back and flashed his signature sly smile. As he walked over to her, Manami felt her heart beat in excitement. This whole outing was _perfect_.

"You look happy," teased Karma, brushing a stray strand of hair away from the girl's face, "Have you gone stargazing before?"

"A-actually, it's my first time," stuttered Manami, face red as a beet, "It's really pretty though! All the stars are so bright and sparkly!" Karma chuckled at the girl's excitement that could easily be compared to a little child awing over a new toy.

"I'm glad you like it," smiled Karma. Suddenly, he pointed up. "You see that triangle shaped thing?" Manami nodded, eyes sparkling as bright as the stars. "Those are the constellations Lyra, Aquila, and Cygnus," explained the red head, eyes looking down at the girl who was filled with nothing but awe.

"Karma-kun, that's amazing!" exclaimed the violet orbed girl, "You know so much about stars!"

"It's not really a lot," replied Karma, leaning against a tree, "just some random facts I remembered reading about." Suddenly, a streak of sparling light sped across the sparkling dotted sky.

"It's starting!" cried Hinano. Everyone rushed to find a place where they could see the dazzling sight. Manami gasped at the beauty as Karma watched, silently smiling. Indeed it was a beauty as streaks of light flew by and everyone was there.

"Hey, there's a myth that if you wish under a shooting star, it'll come true," said Karma suddenly to his poison glasses.

"Really?" asked Manami, fascinated, "Then I'll try!" The bespectacled girl closed her eyes and looked as if she was concentrating really hard. When she opened them, she looked over to Karma curiously. "You should make a wish too Karma-kun!"

"Ehhh~?" drawled out an amused Karma, "I guess I'll try then." This time, the boy closed his eyes, but opened them right after. "Done," he said, smiling.

"What'd you wish for Karma-kun?" asked Manami, smiling as well.

"If I tell, it won't come true now, will it?" taunted Karma. Manami blushed.

"Well, I'll…um…tell you mine in return," she mumbled, "Is that okay?"

"Fair enough," replied Karma who secretly would do anything for the girl, "What'd you wish for?"

"Well…um…I wished that all the fun times we had together while pranking others would last forever…you know…even after we kill Koro-sensei," she mumbled, twiddling her fingers nervously. "Ah!" she exclaimed, covering her blushing face, "I said something really embarrassing just now, didn't I?! Forget about it please!" Karma almost couldn't hold his laughter.

"It's okay Okuda-san," reassured Karma, coughing as he attempted to cover his laughter, "I wished for kind of the same thing." Manami looked up and the boy smirked.

"Then let's stay together forever!" cried Manami happily.

And this time, it was Karma's turn to blush.


	20. T is for Takebayashi

Karma tapped his fingers irritably on his desk as he watched a certain bespectacled girl talk to a certain bespectacled boy. On a daily basis, _his_ poison glasses would greet everyone every morning when she arrived and went straight to the prankster, but today was different. Today, Okuda Manami had spent quite a while talking to Takebayashi and Karma was definitely peeved.

It was about some stupid book on the human body that the usually quiet boy had lent the girl and today, she was _ecstatic_. Not that Karma was eavesdropping or anything, but he could hear the violet orbed girl thank Takebayashi, saying that she learned so much all because of him. Karma almost snorted because it wasn't with _that_ guy's help. It was the book's. And after that, Takebayashi somehow started a conversation with the girl about the human brain and how it worked, captivating the glasses girl. But Karma was definitely _not_ eavesdropping.

Karma gritted his teeth in irritation. That glasses guy was sure taking up some precious time talking to Manami. Time that should've been spent with talking to the redhead instead. Karma looked at the clock again and cursed under his breath on how much time had already passed. Five. Whole. Minutes. Manami had been talking to some other guy for _five_ minutes. That was _300_ seconds. _600_ half seconds. The mercury eyed boy had to bite his tongue to hold back his rage.

As Karma decided to give up and try to take a nap, he heard Manami _giggle_. He almost couldn't believe it. It was usually him that made her laugh and not Takebayashi...or anyone really. Karma sent a spine tingling glare that the glasses boy promptly ignored, seeing that he was too absorbed into his conversation to pick up the deadly aura that Karma was emitting.

"Then see you later Takebayashi- _kun_ ," Manami said, smiling as she walked over to Karma. The redhead blinked, realizing that he had missed part of the conversation due to his raging anger.

"'See you later'?" Karma teased, putting on a fake smirk, "Is Okuda-san going on a date with Takebayashi?" Karma nearly punched himself for saying that and wanted to kick himself when he saw the girl _blush_.

"I-it isn't like that!" denied Manami, waving her hands frantically, "I just asked him something and he said he'd help me with it…" The girl averted her glance to the ever so captivating wood floor.

"What'd you ask him?" asked Karma, faking his casual smile.

"Th-that's a secret," mumbled Manami as Karma nearly snapped his pencil in half. "A-anyways, Karma-kun, are you feeling okay? You're acting kinda…strange today." The girl observed him with curiosity, eyes filled with concern. "Are you sick, Karma-kun?"

"Me? Strange?" asked Karma playfully, "Are you sure that you're not the one acting strange?"

"If you say so Karma-kun," Manami replied suspiciously, "But if you feel sick, make sure to tell me." Karma smiled at her kindness and started to wonder how a guy like him could've befriended such an innocent creature. An angel to be exact.

As the day dragged on, all Karma could think about was the "secret" Manami was keeping from him. ' _Could it be a date?'_ thought Karma, _'But wait, today's Wednesday. Shouldn't she be staying after in the lab with_ _ **me**_ _?"_ As Karma broke the umpteenth pencil of the day, Manami shot the boy a worried glance only to be reassured by a friendly and playful wave.

Later, Karma waited anxiously in the lab. The girl had told him that she'd be a few minutes late due to that "secret" she wouldn't tell him about. Karma felt oddly frustrated. The girl told him _everything_ and he listened to all of it. Up until now, he thought he was special, but no. Apparently, Takebayashi was secretly a girl stealing, eccentric silent guy that Karma couldn't admit that he was jealous of. He definitely was _not_ jealous. The sound of footsteps and an opening door snapped the mischief maker out of his thoughts.

"Sorry I'm late," panted Manami holding a book in her arms, "I wanted to borrow another book from Takebayashi-kun about the human body."

"It's okay Okuda-san," replied Karma smiling on the outside, "How was your date?" Manami's face turned crimson red.

"I told you it wasn't like that," pouted the girl, "I just wanted to surprise you with something." Karma looked at the girl, confused.

"Eh~ surprise me?" asked Karma, faking amusement, "With what?" Manami placed the book down in front of the boy. It was on the subject of how the human mind worked.

"Takebayashi-kun mentioned something about a book he had at home about how people think so I wanted to show it to Karma-kun so he can…um…find new tactics to manipulate people...?" mumbled Manami, wondering if her wording was…appropriate. Suddenly, Karma started laughing.

"So that was all?" he asked as relief flooded through him, "Thanks Okuda-san." Karma flashed a genuine grin and Manami felt her stomach do a flip flop. As she pondered on why that happened, Karma asked, "You could've stayed longer with him if you wanted." The redhead didn't want to seem overprotective or obsessive even though he resented the actual idea.

"That's because I wanted to spend time with Karma-kun too," pouted Manami, "And…also…Takebayashi-kun said that you'd get j-jealous. Silly, right Karma-kun?"

Karma nodded. Yeah…silly.

 **A/N: Many #2 Ticonderoga pencils were hurt in the making of this chapter.**


	21. U is for Umbrella

Manami stared up hesitantly at the stormy sky, debating whether to walk home or wait out the heavy rain that didn't seem like it was going to stop. She felt stupid that even though the news told her that the chance of rain was 100% that afternoon, she had left her purple umbrella at home _and_ had no one to drive her home. Taking in a deep breath, the introvert prepared a bold step into the rain.

"What're you doing Okuda-san?" whispered a taunting voice in her ear. Yelping, the girl turned around hastily, almost dropping her school bag.

"K-karma-kun?" stuttered the shocked, bespectacled girl, "Wh-what are you doing?" The mischief maker grinned as he opened his dark red umbrella.

"You don't have an umbrella right?" asked Karma, "You can share with me."

"Ehhhh?! No, Karma-kun doesn't have to-!"

"It's alright Okuda-san," smiled the boy, "If you walk home like this, you'll get a cold. What would I do if you were out and couldn't make chloroform when I really needed it?" He made it sound as if he lived on the sweet smelling chemical.

"Then if it doesn't bother Karma-kun…" mumbled Manami shyly, "Excuse my intrusion." Normally, the girl would have not been that hesitant if it was Kayano or Kanzaki offering, but as close as the two were, Karma was a _guy_. The opposite gender was with _her_ under a rather small umbrella. _'Ahhhhh! What should I do?!'_ panicked the girl _, 'He's so close!'_ Subconsciously, Manami put her hands against her face and panicked even more after feeling how hot it was. Glancing down into the puddle, her reflection looked like a tomato,

Unknowingly, the redhead noticed the girl's awkwardness. Slowly, Karma walked in the opposite direction while still tilting the umbrella so that Manami wouldn't get soaked, but increasing the distance between them. The sleeves of his school uniform got wet, but it was a small price to pay for his poison glasses. Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't realize that the glasses girl was just as observant as him.

"Karma-kun?" asked Manami, "Your sleeve is getting soaked." Pouting, the girl tried to pull him closer in.

"It's ok Okuda-san," he replied, smiling, "You better get in or else you'll get wet too." Manami stared up at him, her violent orbs searching his mercury ones. _Did he notice my awkwardness_ , she panicked.

Gathering all her courage, the girl tugged on her companion's sleeve hesitantly. He looked over about to ask what she needed but was suddenly pulled back into the umbrella. Manami held his arm tightly in hers, blushing. Karma almost laughed.

"We can both stay dry," she mumbled shyly as Karma pat her head.

 **A/N: I am so, so, so, sorry. I have writers' block. Someone help me. I promise that the next chapter will be up sooner.**


	22. V is for Visit

On the day before mid-term exams, Manami and Karma had scheduled a study session at the girl's house. This, was their secret ritual that started when the girl needed the red head's help with language arts. Normally, their sessions were planned by email, but it became something that happened every time. The two would wait for each other after classes and go wherever there was space and peace. He had been over the bespectacled girl's house a few times and had been told that her parents were always away for work and it was absolutely ok that he was over.

Meanwhile, Kenjiro Okuda was driving back to his house in a small silver car while on the phone talking to his wife about his week off. He planned to surprise his daughter who probably missed her parents very much and was _probably_ lonely due to lack of company. Kenjiro was a tall and bulky man who looked older than he actually was. Most of his raven hair had turned white due to stress from his job. As the head of the three person Okuda family in the house, he made sure that his daughter only got the best happiness and working for months was only a small price to pay in hopes of sending her to an elite academy specializing in science.

As he pulled into the small driveway, he noticed that the grass had turned yellow and dry. He sighed. It was always his dream to have a top notch garden, beautiful enough to rival his neighbors, _but_ , he didn't want his daughter to spend so much time on a small patch of ugly grass and he'd never let her go out when it was dark just to water it. In other words, he was a very protective man.

Quietly, Kenjiro unlocked the door, hoping that his daughter wouldn't hear. As he went inside, he dropped his heavy black suitcase and stared with his mouth agape. Who on earth was this red head and why was his daughter hiding behind him?

"D-dad!" cried out Manami as she peeked behind Karma's back, "I thought you'd be home next month!" Seeing his daughter made his confusion settle down for a bit.

"Surprise!" he shouted, smiling. Then he returned his focus to the mischief maker. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Karma.

"D-dad," scolded the glasses girl, "Don't be rude. This is Karma-kun, my classmate. He was just helping me s-study." The girl look frightened at her father's glare.

"I don't remember studying having anything to do with hiding behind someone's back," he hissed, glaring at the red head who looked like he was about to say something, but decided not to.

"E-er…I heard the door click and thought it was a burglar so K-Karma-kun decided to hide me just in case it was," explained Manami, trying to comfort her father.

"Nice to meet you Okuda-san," greeted Karma, putting up his fake innocent aura, "I'm Akabane Karma." Bowing politely, Manami wondered if Karma was possibly bipolar.

"Kenjiro Okuda," grunted the older man, looking at the mercury eyed boy with much distaste, "Why are you here again?"

"To help Okuda-san study for mid-terms," Karma replied, smiling like Isogai. Manami thought it was rather strange to have _two_ Okuda-sans in the room.

"So you think _my_ Manami needs help?!" bellowed Kenjiro, "Are you calling my daughter stupid?!"

"Dad it isn't-!"

"Oh no," denied Karma, waving his hand casually, "I needed help with chemistry so in return, I decided to help her with language arts." That was half of the truth. Yes Karma was helping Manami with language arts, but in return, the girl wasn't exactly tutoring the red head. Instead, they were working on a new chemical to melt some tentacles of a certain yellow octopus using one of his tentacles as a specimen.

"Manami," said Kenjiro as he cleared his throat, "Go to your room for a few minutes." Manami looked hesitantly at her guest, but reluctantly went after her red headed companion nodded an ok to her.

"Did you want to talk about something Okuda-san?" asked Karma once his poison glasses (not that he'd admit it in front of the fuming man) was out of earshot.

"I just wanted to ask you a few questions," sighed Kenjiro, still looking very mad, "since you're her boyfriend and all-."

"I think you've misunderstood," chuckled the boy nervously, "We're just friends studying together." Kenjiro completely ignored him and sat down, arms crossed.

"What are your future plans?" demanded the man.

"Mmmm, probably a government worker," replied Karma, avoiding the words 'evil bureaucrat'.

"How's your relationship with your parents?"

"They're usually away so it's pretty strained."

"How are you grades?"

"Good…"

"What do you like about my daughter?" Karma blinked, looking _very_ confused.

"We're not da-."

"What do you like about my daughter?" repeated the man sternly. Karma gulped slightly, but refused to be intimidated.

"I guess she's kind…" started Karma, but decided to explain even more after receiving another glare, "She's very understanding and accepting and is willing to put others before herself. She's also a genius when it comes to chemistry-."

"Is that relevant?" asked Kenjiro, "Is it relevant on what she's good at or not? Do you like her just because she's smart?"

"Her skills help me," replied Karma with a sudden flame of determination in his mercury orbs, "We pull pranks together and I believe…or I know she has fun. So if she's having fun, I am too." Kenjiro studied the boy again and sighed.

"I never knew my child was interested in weird kids," mumbled the middle aged man, "Go up there and study with her. Get out of my sight." Karma stood up and bowed before going up.

Kenjiro laid back and sighed. His little girl was growing up. And worst of all, he couldn't find a reason to hate this young man she brought home.


	23. W is for Wedding

" _There's a big difference between falling in love with someone and falling in love with someone and getting married. Usually, after you get married, you fall in love with the person even more,"_ or that's what they said, but it made no difference to Okuda Manami. Today, was going to be the happiest day of her life.

Back when she was in elementary school, the chemistry loving girl, or now woman had dreamt of becoming a researcher. When her teacher had asked her to draw out her future dream, Manami had drawn a crude picture of her holding bubbling chemicals of all colors. Even though in her picture, her glasses weren't perfect circles and even though her braids were just blobs, Manami could see it already. And that was her goal throughout elementary school.

In middle school, the focused girl's goal never changed. In fact, she wanted to be a researcher even _more_. Making chemicals to assassinate a mutated teacher? Experimenting with dangerous concoctions for pranks? It motivated her. It excited her. And for once, she felt like she didn't have to hide her interests. For once, she felt accepted. Not to mention excited.

In high school, the girl realized that she was so close to reaching the last step. After high school, she would be accepted to a prestigious school that specialized in the sciences. She had been working so hard for it. Finally, her dream would become a reality.

 _But something was missing_.

There was something wrong and she knew it. Not wrong with her and not wrong with her passion, but she felt that something was lacking. It took her months to realize it, but she began to find her answer. All around her, everyone was happy. It wasn't like she wasn't happy. It was because all around her, everyone was happy with _someone else_. For instance, Nagisa and Kayano had begun dating since high school started and Hayami and Chiba were side by side all along. Sugino and Kanzaki had a complicated relationship, but the feeling of knowing that someone loved you, that someone needed you. That was what the violet eyed girl wanted.

She thought it was selfish. Having two wishes come true? Wasn't she asking for too much? But as time passed, Manami began to wish that in elementary school, she should've drawn a different picture. Not just her with chemicals in a lab coat. A picture of herself with chemicals and a white dress with a mysterious, but loving figure next to her.

When the young woman was in her dream university, she began to wonder if it was too late for love. Her friends seemed so content with their partners and some even tried to set her up with others. But Manami didn't want that. She wanted to find someone herself. Someone that she connected to and could have that special, close feeling the others had without someone setting them up.

During her last year of her studies, the woman had been walking across the street when a motorcyclist stopped for her. Taking the kind gesture, Manami nodded her head and began to walk across…until she noticed familiar mercury eyes that glowed with mischief and an unmistakable smirk.

Now, the woman smiled to herself. Dressed up in a beautiful puffy white gown that reached to her feet, she took it all in. The guests, that were all from the former class 3_E twenty years ago, and the beautiful chapel. The silver butterflies that were lightly printed near the bottom of her dressed sparkled just like her eyes.

"Will Akabane Karma take Okuda Manami as his forever loving wife?"

"I do."

"Will Okuda Manami take Akabane Karma as her ever faithful husband?"

"I d-do."

"You may now seal this with a kiss."

Leaning in, Karma placed his lips against Manami's. It was a gentle feeling that made Manami's heart skip a beat and eyes flutter every time.

This would make a great How I Met Your Father Story, she thinks.


	24. X is for Xmas

"It's your birthday too isn't it?" asked a bespectacled girl to her red headed companion. Silence. Manami inwardly winced, thinking that his birthday was a taboo subject.

"Well it's not really that big of a deal," he replied, relaxed. Stretching his arms and yawning, Karma got out of his desk. "I prefer Christmas better just because I can give pranks to other people." He smirked, showing his sharp teeth.

"Ah do you need help with them?" the girl offered as she followed his suit. Walking home together had become a ritual and Karma always wanted to make sure she was safe at home since it got dark early.

"Not this time," he mumbled. Manami was a bit shocked. There wasn't a single time where he _didn't_ request anything for his pranks.

"Oh I see," she pouted, but quickly smiled when he turned around to face her. His mercury eyes scanned hers, searching for something in those violet orbs, but found or seemed to find nothing. "Anyways, do you want to stop by the Christmas tree to-"

"Sorry not today," apologized Karma, "I have something to do. Be careful on your way home." With that, he headed the opposite direction.

"See you tomorrow Karma-kun," said Manami, slightly disappointed. Walking on the snow filled street alone, she pondered on what Karma had to do, but it was so rare that she didn't really suspect anything big. Of course she couldn't expect Karma to always be there at her side. That would just be spoiling her.

When she got home, she flopped onto her bed, still bothered. She was meaning to pry clues off of Karma to what he wanted for Christmas. After all, he had helped her so much. What did he like? Nagisa crossdressing? There was no way she could get that. What did he not like? Asano but it's not like she was going to capture the rich brat and hand him over to the red head. Was he allergic to anything? What if she killed him?!

Manami muffled a squeal of frustration into her pillow. Looking at her desk, she stared at one of the girly magazines that she borrowed from her cousin. The title "Perfect Gift Guide for Anybody!" caught her attention and while normally she only read news on science discoveries, she spent quite a long time re-reading the article. Even though it told her that home baked goods were "prefect" there was no way she'd pull it off! She could burn water!

But she had to try.

As she pulled out all the ingredients from her fridge, she placed the fire extinguisher nearby. She read the directions and did _exactly_ __what it said.

Although she had no idea how to use the oven.

That would be an issue.

…

The next day, Manami packed up her stuff. Heaving a sigh, the thought of the burnt cookies flashed through her mind. Was it possible that if she used the oven properly, the cookies would come out well? And tomorrow was Christmas too! What was she going to do?

"Karma-kun are you re-"

"Sorry Okuda-san," he apologized, "I have something again." He looked truly genuine. And tired. All Manami could do was smile.

"It's ok," she replied, but she had a fear that he was avoiding her. Did she do something wrong? As she walked home, sighs escaped her mouth. She'd just have to practice baking the cookies again!

…

Manami tensed up as a knock went on her door. Her parents were still out at work so who could be knocking at her door at noon on _Christmas_ out of all days? Opening it carefully, she was surprised to find Karma grinning.

"Merry Christmas Okuda-san!" he said, holding out a small box toward her.

"K-Karma-kun?!" she gasped. Then she ran into the house. "Hold on! I have something for you too!" Dashing toward her kitchen, she nearly tripped and tossed the five batches of burnt failure in the trash. When she ran back, she held out the bag of cookies to him. They were star shaped and little red and green candy jewels sat neatly on top of the white frosting. The two quickly exchanged, Karma smirking while Manami blushing.

"Thanks Okuda-san," he replied, "Open yours~." His playfulness made her wonder if he got her an explosive.

Carefully pulling the golden ribbon open, Manami opened the purple box. She gasped as it revealed a stunning purple butterfly pendant with golden edges, matching the box. It glittered in the faint sunlight and snowflakes fell down, creating a picturesque scene.

"It's so pretty Karma-kun!" she exclaimed, "How did you afford it?!"

"A bunch of part time jobs," laughed the boy grinning a bit mischievously, "I got fired a couple of times for conduct. It's also why I was busy these past few days."

"You didn't have to do that!" cried Manami, feeling guilty.

"But it's all worth it," he replied looking very stoic then breaking into another grin, "I get to receive these cookies from Okuda-san and it's so rare that she even shows this girly side of hers~!"


End file.
